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India Antimicrobial Resistance Detection, Prevention and Control Program

The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered a global patient safety issue and a major public health concern. Compounding the threat of AMR, hospital acquired infections further contribute to adverse patient outcomes, and in many instances are caused by highly resistant organisms.

Building the capacity to implement and sustain these systems and practices is thus critical to effectively respond to the public health threats posed by AMR. In Tamil Nadu, PHI is working with the CDC and the Government of Tamil Nadu to implement activities in three priority areas:

Antimicrobial Stewardship

Infection Prevention and Control

Laboratory based-surveillance

Program Director(s)

Here's How We're Making a Difference

To combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, PHI is working in India to advance the detection, treatment and prevention of critical drug resistant pathogens. In Tamil Nadu, PHI-India has documented elevated levels of pathogenic bacteria resistant to antibiotics used as last lines of defense in human medicine.

PHI-India has also convened more than 100 government and private sector physicians to raise awareness about effective infection prevention and control, and they are working to develop a standardized protocol for surveillance of healthcare-associated infections. Under the project, a state-level Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Committee was developed and launched to improve AMR surveillance and control. An analysis of district hospital AMR data was also conducted and indicates a high proportion of resistance to last-line antibiotics among outpatients.

Ultimately, the goal of the project is to pilot a program that will be scaled up across the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with potential health implications for the enitre population of over 70 million people.